She was Beautiful

I cradled Bella in my arms and dashed outside in the pouring rain.

"I'm leaving Charlie, I can't stand the small town life." My voice was shaky as I leaned in to fasten Bella in her car seat. He didn't try to stop me from leaving. The fog was dense and the storm was getting worse. The trees were leaning from the wind. I knew it wasn't great driving weather but I had to get out. I had to get away from this town and all of the bad memories.

I climbed into the driver's seat and started up the rusty station wagon. I backed out of the driveway and put the car into drive. I sped toward the city limits. The rain turned to ice as I turned the corner headed straight for the oldest bridge in town. It was so dark I didn't see the signs that said caution slippery when wet. They had just started repairs on it. My speedometer read 80mph and it was increasing. The ice coated the blacktop and the sand made my tires squeal. I saw my life flash before my eyes as I thought about Bella in the backseat. Bella would never get her chance at life. We crashed through the rails as I saw our fate at the bottom of the river. The water was freezing as the car started filling with water. Blood oozed down my face as I heard a shrill scream.

"Edward! Help her! You have to do something! She has a baby Edward!" the voice sounded terrified. Bella was screaming in the back seat. She was almost one.

I felt the car move toward the voices and I felt the water being drained from around my feet. I was so close to death. My vision was gone.

"Ma'am? Are you okay?" His voice was so comforting giving the situation.

"My baby. My baby. Take her to Charlie." I was looking death in the face. "Charlie, Charlie Swan." I slowly drifted into unconsciousness.

EPOV

"Ma'am?" She didn't answer and her heartbeat was silent. Alice was cradling the human baby and she was screaming. She was only a baby yet her scent was so intoxicating.

"Do you want to hold her?" I was unsure I would be strong enough to not bite her. It was freezing and the baby would get sick if we didn't find shelter.

"Maybe later. Alice we need to find warmth for her. Until we can find this Charlie she is our responsibility." Alice agreed.

We ran her to an abandoned house and started a fire in the chimney to keep her warm. I gave Alice my jacket and she wrapped it around the baby. She was beautiful. Her scent was strong but it would just get stronger with time.

"Do you want to hold her?" Alice really just wanted her to calm down. She was screaming her lungs out. I nodded to Alice's relief.

I held out my arms and cradled her. She immediately breathed in my scent and she calmed. Her big beautiful eyes looked at me as if she were memorizing me. She smiled as I poked her nose. She grabbed my finger and laughed. Her brown hair spilled over her face as she joyfully grabbed my nose. She smelled so good. I just wanted to eat her up, literally.

Alice must have seen the look in my eye because she immediately took the baby from my hands. The baby went frantic. Alice rolled her eyes.

"It's your fate baby." She gave a low chuckle and handed the baby back to me.

Again the baby calmed. She yawned and I knew she needed to sleep. I rocked her back and forth but she tried to fight sleep. I tried to read her mind to see how developed it was but I heard nothing. I hummed a lullaby to her that I randomly made up in my head. She drifted off the sleep in my arms.

"Edward, you really should see what you look like with her. It's quite adorable." Alice grinned.

"Well I think we need to talk to Carlisle about this." I gave her stern look. "No, we cannot keep her. I can't believe you would think that. A baby growing up in a family of Vampires is out of the question. I'm sure that would break a few of the rules." I couldn't believe Alice would even think of that.

"Well, it was just a suggestion. You can stay here with her while I go hunt down Carlisle. She likes you better anyway." She was annoyed.

I rocked the babe in my arms and ran my finger over her cheek. She was so fragile. She was beautiful. Alice was only gone for an hour or so when she came back with Carlisle and the rest of the family.

"Well Edward, what have you got your arms around?" Carlisle came to make sure the baby wasn't sick.

"I don't know what her name is, but I know her last name is Swan. The last thing her mother said before she died was to take her baby to Charlie Swan." The baby's eyes blinked open as she smiled and yawned.

"Well she looks healthy. Maybe we should find this Charlie Swan. I also think that after we've decided that Alaska isn't suitable for us to stay any longer we might want to check out living here. This is a quaint little town." I nodded in agreement. I thought what this town might look like in sixteen years or so. I wondered what she would look like in sixteen years or so. Wow.

The baby gurgled and laughed as her hands played with my shirt. Her touch was so tender. I wished that I could have a child of my own. I seemed to be doomed to a life of being alone forever. I was the only one in our coven without a mate. Sometimes the sadness got to me but I had to hide my emotions because Alice's mate Jasper felt my emotions all to well. I hated that.

We all had our little quirks. Emmett was the muscle man. Rosalie was the beautiful one. Esme was the mother. She had the kindest heart. Carlisle was the oldest and the leader of our coven. He was the fatherly figure for us all. We all looked up to him as a role model. Jasper was the newest edition to our coven and he felt everyone's emotions and helped calm tension. It was hardest for him to stay away from the temptation of blood. The only reason he did it was for Alice. Alice was the one I was closest to in the family. She was always cheerful and she could see things that were going to happen in the future. Lastly was me. I could read minds. I know we sound weird but what does one expect when we're a coven of Vampires? Don't worry, we don't drink human blood we try our hardest to resist temptation and stick to our only animals diet. Anyway back to the story.

"Carlisle, can we keep her?" Alice's eyes were full of hope.

"Alice, you very well know that a house full of Vampires isn't exactly the best place for a young human lady. Besides she has a father out there probably wondering where she is." Carlisle's voice was very… fatherly.

I was lost in thought when I remembered hearing something about Charlie the police chief when I passed the windows of the small town. I decided to pipe up. "Um Carlisle, Charlie Swan is the police chief of Forks. I saw his police cruiser when we passed by his house hunting." I was sad at the thought of returning this baby to its father.

"Oh okay well Edward you write a note and I'll find a basket to put her in. We'll return her inconspicuously." I searched the house for a pen and paper and settled for a dirty notepad and an old pen..

Dear Charlie,

I believe this is yours. We found her on the side of the road. Take care of her.

-The Good Samaritan.

I wrapped her in the blanket that Carlisle had brought and placed her in the basket. I shoved the note in the side. She cried as she left my touch. "Shhh" I cooed in her ear. I hummed the random lullaby and her eyes started fighting sleep. The lullaby worked and she drifted back to dreamland.

"Come on Edward, we must return her." Carlisle's voice echoed throughout the room. I was reluctant to return her to her father. I imagined her has a young woman. How beautiful she would be. I got up and started out the door. Alice grabbed me by the shoulder.

"Edward, can I talk to you for a second?" I looked at Carlisle and he nodded.

"Sure Alice, what is it?" I looked back down at the sleeping baby.

"Her name is Bella." That was all she had to say because I saw the rest in her head. She was beautiful.

"Thanks Alice." A smile found my face.

"No problem." She smiled back knowing she had done her good for the day.

We headed back out in the rain and hoped into Carlisle's Honda. I cradled the babe and rocked her back and forth. She had a sweet dream filling her head. I couldn't see it but I could tell by the expression on her face.

"Where does she live?" Carlisle asked nonchalantly.

"About 5 miles from the high school." I was only concentrated on Bella's face. Bella was such a pretty name. I couldn't wait for the sixteen years to come fast enough. I looked up and I saw the light on the front porch. The police car was out front.

"We're here. I'll wait with the car around the corner. Place the baby on the doorstep and knock loudly. Don't wait for the door to open. Get out of there and back to the car without him seeing you. It will be better if he doesn't see you." I nodded my head so he knew I understood.

I wanted her to have something that was mine. I wanted her to remember me. I wiggled my ring off my finger and the cheap chain off of my neck. I slid the ring on the chain and placed it in the basket. Carlisle just seemed to understand.

I got out in the pouring rain. Carlisle pulled around the corner as I walked up to the doorstep. I opened the screen and set "my Bella" on the porch. I knocked loudly till I heard the footsteps reach the bottom steps. I ran and hid around the corner till I saw him take Bella inside. He had tears in his eyes.

His thoughts were happy and sad at the same time. "Bella? Oh my God thank you. I thought you died with you mother." He grabbed the baby from the cradle and took it inside. I waited till he saw the note. "Thank God for that Good Samaritan. What is this? Wow it must be his ring. I'll make sure to give it to Bella. It should be a part of her."

If I could have cried it would have been then. Bella deserves a chance at a normal life. To know that I may be able to have her as my own overwhelmed me. I know I was supposed to meet Charlie around the corner but I wanted to say goodbye one last time. The light from her nursery was on upstairs. I waited for it to turn off. I scaled the side of the house and opened the only window in the room. I quietly climbed inside to find she wasn't asleep. I walked over to her crib and she saw me. She smiled and I rubbed my finger across her face. She giggled. In the moonlight I hummed her lullaby. She slowly drifted off to sleep.

"Goodbye Bella." I whispered to her. "I'll be back in sixteen years. Only sixteen years and we will be together. I promise." With that I rubbed her cheek again and she was beautiful.